Nepal sent helicopters to the rescue on Wednesday after a massive flash flood swept away villages, killing eight and damaging roads, bridges and power projects in areas near Tibet, authorities said.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah said rescue and relief teams, as well as police and the military had been dispatched to help in the aid effort.
The waters were too high for helicopters to land in Nepal’s affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, officials said, while flagging the risk of casualties. Nepal’s energy ministry said 430 MW of electricity supplies were affected, mostly from hydroelectric projects, or more than 12% of total national hydropower capacity of 3.2 GW, a Reuters calculation showed.
Across the border, Tibet reported “major casualties” with some missing in the neighbouring county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between China and Nepal, the Xinhua official news agency said. LIVE UPDATES HERE Nepal’s rescue helicopters would be unable to land in the affected areas until the waters recede, however, army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said. President Xi Jinping urged “all-out” search efforts for the missing as well as stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said police and military were joining rescue and relief teams.
